Blue Princess
by born-leverpooler
Summary: Kim and Ron are drifting apart as friends... Ron meets a new and interesting (odd) girl at Bueno Nacho, and a friendship sparks! But something else is odd about this girl...
1. Chapter 1 And Along Came Vicki

{[ _Italics_ = inner thoughts/daydreams/flashbacks ]}

Chapter 1

"And Along Came Vicki"

It was after school at Middleton High, about 3:15.  Kim and Ron had just gotten out of the library after doing some research on chemical bonds for Science class, and Ron was in the mood for some 'brain food'.

"Come on Kim, _Bueno Nacho_ awaits!" Ron tugged at Kim's arm.

"Not today, Ron. I'm meeting Monique at the _Club Banana_ in The Mall," Kim explained, not really in the mood to watch Ron and Rufus stuff their faces. "Maybe next time, ok?" she said with a smile.

"Oh. Ok, I guess. _Club Banana_ is better than a nacho feast any day," Ron tried to smile back, hiding his disappointment and sarcasm.

            "Don't give me that, Ron. We spend practically every day together, and I'd think we could stand to be at least an hour apart once in a while."

She looked at him, then giving him her infamous 'Puppy Dog Pout'.

            "Aw, not that!" Ron groaned, covering his eyes. "Fine, fine! Just go!" he waved his hand towards the door at the end of the hall, desperately wanting her to stop.

            "Thanks, Ron. I'll catch up to you later, ok?" Kim said as she hurried off out of the building to meet Monique out in front of the school.

            "Yeah, whatever," Ron muttered, turning and heading for the opposite exit out of the school building.

*~*~*~*~*

            "Something's been up with Kim lately, Rufus, I just know it," Ron confided in his pet naked mole rat.

Rufus mumbled out his semi-nonsense chatter, seeming to tell Ron he was just being paranoid as usual.

            The two's unusual conversation was interrupted by the sound of loud chopping and tortilla chip crunching coming from the booth behind theirs.  Ron turned around and his jaw dropped at the sight before him.  The sounds were being made by a girl no less.  She was eating some odd combination of nachos, a tortilla, sour cream, and ground beef.

            "Uh, excuse me?"

The girl whirled around, small dabs of cheese and salsa at the corners of her mouth.

            "What the heck is that?" Ron asked, pointing at the concoction on the girl's plate.  Instead of saying something rude, like what most of the girl's he knew would have done, the girl smiled showing off her still clean pearly whites.

            "I call it: the 'Naccoritto'!" she stated proudly, holding it up for Ron to see. "See here. The tortilla is the 'plate', with ground beef smeared over it till the whole thing is covered.  Then you pile on the cheesiest of nachos with a big swirl of sour cream atop it all!" the girl explained her invention to Ron, who sat there with mouth agape from shock.

            "This. Is. Amazing!" he exclaimed, continuing to stare at the marvelous culinary creation. "How did you come up with something so– awesome?" he asked.

            "Well, for one thing, my mother's a cook. So I have a knack for such things concerning food," the girl said.

Ron climbed over the back of the booth and took a seat next to the girl.

            "I am in the presence of true genius," Rom praised, bowing mockingly to the girl.

            "Oh, it's no big deal. I just love food," the girl blushed, not really use to such praise.

The two smiled at one another for a moment, oblivious to the fact that Rufus was now digging into the Naccoritto for himself.

            "So what's your name?" Ron asked.

            "Victoria Baxter. But most people just call me Vicki," she introduced herself.

Ron couldn't stop smiling.

            _Wow! She just as into food creation as me… unlike Kim, who just puts my inventions down,_ Ron thought to himself, amazed to find someone (and a girl no less) who shared and interest with equal enthusiasm. "Rufus!" he now took notice to Rufus, who'd by now finished off the entire Naccoritto mountain. "Sorry about that. He must've really liked it."

            "Ah well, I guess I can take this as a compliment," Vicki laughed.  She then got an idea. "Say, why don't you come by my place tomorrow and we can compare Mexican food recipes. I've been dying to find someone to invent with," she suggested.

            "Sure! That'd be cool!" Ron said, unable to hide his excitement.

            "Great! Let me write down my address," Vicki took out a piece of paper, scribbling down some directions and a home address. "Come by around 3:30, ok?"

            "I'll be there!"


	2. Chapter 2 Relaxed and Unappreciated

{[ _Italics_ = inner thoughts/daydreams/flashbacks ]}

Chapter 2

"Relaxed and Unappreciated"

"Ok girls, let's go," Kim instructed the squad, pushing the play button on the boom box.

The big cheer competition was coming up soon and Kim wanted herself and the other girls to do the best they could.

"Pyramid formation!" Kim called out, breaking into a run so she could mount the top of the pyramid.

Just as she leapt up, something was hurled through the air and hit her square in the forehead to cause her to lose balance and fall flat on her back.

            "Kim! You ok?" one of her fellow cheerleaders asked, the whole squad going to her side.

            "Yeah, I'm fine," Kim muttered, picking up the particularly large spitball wad with her thumb and forefinger. "Major yuck factor!" she said, sticking out her tongue in disgust.

Out of the corner of her eye, she caught sight of someone dashing from the gym and out the doors.  Kim cast a glare, greatly despising whoever the assailant was, and then to her feet to continue with cheer practice.

*~*~*~*~*

"Ha! That was priceless! Oh man," Vicki doubled up with laughter, clutching her sides and leaning against a nearby locker to prevent from falling over. "That'll teach those primping superficial sissies!" she smirked, continuing down the hall.

As she was walking, her cell phone began vibrating wildly in her pocket.  It was her mother calling.

            "What's up?" Vicki answered.

            "Hi, Honey. Just called to ask if you'd be able to pick up the twins from school today," Mrs. Baxter asked her daughter.

            "Aw, Mom! I've got to meet someone today, can't you do it?"

            "I would, but I'm tied up down at the bakery and can't get away even for a minute.  It's like everyone decided to have their wedding today just to push my buttons," Mrs. Baxter complained.

            "All right, all right, Mom. I'll get them," Vicki caved in.

            "Thanks a lot, Princess. I'll make it up to you when I get home, ok?"

With that said, the two hung up.

            _Off I go,_ she sighed. _I just hope I can get back before that boy gets to the house,_ and then it dawned on her. _Oh great! I don't even his name, for God's sake!_ she smacked her forehead, now feeling very stupid.

Vicki then quickly left out the school's front doors and headed for her sisters' elementary school.

*~*~*~*~*

            It was about 3:15 pm, and Ron was ready to head off to Vicki's house.  How could he not when there was the promise of plentiful munchables awaiting him at his destination.

"Ron!" Kim's voice called to him from the opposite end of the hall, hurrying over to him. "I'm glad I caught you. I wanted to—"

"Sorry, can't talk, Kim. Places to go, food to eat," he cut her off.

"Huh?" she said.

"Yeah, I have other plans. Is that so hard to believe?" he indicted.

"That's not what—" she began again.

"I have a life outside of you and crime fighting, you know! I'm not always going to be there when you've got an hour to kill," he said, his anger beginning to surface.

"I don't have time for this, Ron. I'll wait until you've cooled off," Kim said, turning heel and stalking off in a huff.

"Oh sure, you don't have any time to spare! Not when a sale at the Mall is at stake!" Ron yelled after her.

He then stormed off, burst through the doors of the school, and stomped down the front steps.

            "Arrgg, where'd I put those directions?" he mumbled, digging through his pockets till he came upon the scrap of paper with Vicki's address. _At least I'll have an afternoon of relaxation away from being a sidekick. Like Kim ever really needed me in the past…_ he thought bitterly, continuing down the sidewalk.

*~*~*~*~*

"Britt! Tiff!" Vicki called out to her sisters, who then promptly came running up and clung to her legs.

"Hey big sis!" Tiff and Britt said in unison, identical innocently sweet smiles on their faces.

But Vicki knew better.

            "What'd you two do this time?" she asked, taking each twin by the hand and leading them down the sidewalk away from the school.

            "Nothing," Britt said in a singsong tone.

            "Yeah, we didn't drop those cherry bombs in the toilets today," Tiff accidentally blurted out, getting a hasty pinch in the arm from her twin. "Uh, or any day!" she tried to recover.

            "Uh-huh," Vicki eyed them suspiciously. "Hmm, maybe I won't tell Mom what happened… for a price of course," she said.

            "Two bucks!" Britt and Tiff offered.

            "Two bucks and that lollypop you've got in your pocket," Vicki countered pointing to the lump in Tiff's jeans pocket.

            "Deal!" the twins agreed, Tiff handing over the blueberry-flavoured lollypop and the two dollars.

As Vicki popped the sucker into her mouth, the three of them reached their large Victorian-style home.  The twins rushed inside and scrambled up the staircase to their bedroom, with Vicki not far behind them.

            She went to her own bedroom, immediately diving into her walk-in closet and turning on the light inside.

            When she emerged, she glanced at the clock and went into an instant frenzy.

            "Shit! He's gonna be here any minute!"

*~*~*~*~*

            The doorbell rang at a little after 3:40 pm, but Vicki still bolted down the stairs as if he were right on the dot.  With a least minute straightening of her skirt, Vicki opened the door with the same beaming smile she'd worn the day before.

            Ron smiled back, quietly looking her over from head to toe.

She'd changed into a pair of homemade bellbottoms (patches and all) and a black t-shirt that ended just above the belly button, which read '_Become nonconformist, everybody's doing it_'.  He couldn't help but smile at the slogan.

"Nice shirt," he complimented.

"Thanks. Made it myself," Vicki responded, leading him into the house and shutting the door after him. "Mind taking off your shoes at the door," she called back as she walked down the hall to the kitchen.

Ron slipped off his sneakers and socks, setting beside the other pairs in the entryway.  He followed he path, finding her bent over with her head in the open refrigerator.

            "Want anything to drink?" she asked.

            "Uh, soda if you have any. I'm not picky," he said.

Rufus then took this moment to pop out of Ron's pants pocket, sticking his nose in the air to take in the new scents.

            "Aw! He's so cute!" The twins cooed, having now appeared in the kitchen doorway.

The scooped him up and then retreated back up the stairs to their room.

            "Hey, wait a minute!" Ron called after them.

            "Don't worry, he'll be fine," Vicki assured him. "I guarantee he won't be harmed. Chef's honor," she said, tossing him a bottle of Orange Crush.

Ron glanced warily up the stairs, but smiled back and accepted Vicki's word.

            Ah, this is going to be a good day… Ron thought happily, the anger left over from his argument with Kim now having completely melted away.


	3. Chapter 3 Infanta Truth

{[ _Italics_ = inner thoughts/daydreams/flashbacks ]}

Chapter 3

"You Are Good, I Am Bad"

The night was quiet, an eerie sort of quiet that usually meant trouble was imminent.  A flicker of a shadow swept through the air, the dark form then landing on the roof of a bank.  The shadow, a mysterious young woman, then knelt down and pulled out a pen-like tool.  Pressing a side button, a narrow red light short out from the tool's tip and she began cutting a large hole in the roof.  Once completely cut through, the circle of plaster and wood fell to the ground of the building's interior, which then made way for her to drop through to the inside.  The young woman crept through the building, making sure she didn't have any unwanted visitors.  She made her way to the back room, using her laser tool once more to cut off the lock of the large metal safe.  The door swung open, revealing many rows of cabinets of assorted valuables from various owners.  She rushed from one drawer to the next, scooping only the most costly of deposits into the black pack she'd carried in on her back.  She came to one drawer, pulling it open and great smile spread underneath her black mask.  She hurriedly picked up the large blue-tinted diamond and stuffed it into her bag, zipping it shut.  As she was about to leave, she turned and pulling out her laser pen yet again.  With great speed and ease, she scribbled something on the door then sprinted back to the spot from which she dropped in and threw up a grapnel hook to shimmy up and escape without interference.

*~*~*~*~*

         "Thank goodness you're here, Kim Possible, we're stumped on this one," the bank manager greeted the teen hero and her sidekick. "I hope I'm not taking away from anything."

         "No big, sir, I go wherever and whenever I'm needed," Kim smiled her casual '_Look at me, I'm so great_' smile.

Ron stood off to the side, wandering around the crime scene as he usually did while Kim got the information on the robbery.  This is when he discovered the inscription on the metal safe door.

         "Hey, Kim!" he called her over, pointing to the door.

Kim walked over to read the message.

         "_Infanta Truth_… what, or who, is that?" she pondered, putting a hand to her chin in thought. "I've never heard of this before."

Just then, her communicator went off.

         "What up, Wade?" she said to the small screen.

         "Another hit on your website. A rare ruby called _The Wolf's Heart_ was stolen just last night…" Wade went on with informing Kim of the details. "… And on the stand the ruby was on, the name _Infanta Truth_ was carved into the stone," he added.

         "That's the same name that was on the door of the safe here," Kim said, further considering the new information. "I guess this is a person… but the real question is who this person is," she wondered aloud.

Glancing at the time, Ron informed Kim they should be getting to school.  Kim agreed, then turned to the bank manager for a last word before she and Ron took their leave.

*~*~*~*~*

         "Yo, Ron!" Vicki called across the hall from her locker.

Ron turned around, a bright smile appearing on his face.

         "Hey, Vicki!" he greeted, walking over to stand by her. "I didn't know you went here."

         "I only transferred in the beginning of last year.  It's nice to know there's another person I can stand at this school," she said, while casting an evil glare toward two cheerleaders that were passing by. "So where you off to?" she asked.

         "Sign up for electives.  I'm going to meet a friend of mine there right now," he said, aiming his finger down the locker-lined hall.

         "Mind if I follow you down there? I was going down there anyways."

         "Sure. You can meet Kim," he smiled.

As they walked together down the hall, Vicki couldn't help but think that she'd heard that name before… but it was probably a mistake anyhow.

         As the reached the right room, Ron hurried up to a slender redhead in the line outside the door.

         "Vicki, come meet Kim!" he called, beckoning for her to come over to him and the girl.

Vicki then got a sickening angry feeling in her gut once she got a good look at the redhead.  It was the cheerleader from yesterday who she'd knocked off the pyramid with the spit wad.  Without a word, Vicki ducked into the near front of the line behind her friend Juniper (more commonly known as 'Juni').  Juni had very long brown hair and bright almond-shaped brown eyes.

         "What's up?" Juni said to her friend.

         "Just peachy," Vicki muttered, throwing a brief glare back at Kim. "Any classes left?" she asked.

         "Yeah, but I hear that 'Photography' is filling up pretty fast. I hope we get it!"

         "No need for worry, my dear little Philippino," Vicki smiled, patting Juni affectionately on the head. "The luck of **this** Irish maiden shall see us through!" she joked with a triumphant note in her voice.

Meanwhile near the back of the line, Ron was puzzling over why Vicki had hurried away.

         "I wonder what got into her," he wondered.

         "Was that the friend you went to meet that one day?" Kim asked him.

         "Maybe," he teased.

*~*~*~*~*

         "ARRGG!" Kim groaned with disappointment. "How could I have **not** gotten Photography? I didn't think we were that late!" she complained.

         "Calm down, Kim," Ron tried to still her fury. "I just filled up fast, that's all.  You've still got a good one," he said.

         "You call 'School Clean-Up Crew' good?" she grumbled. "I'd rather have 'Home Economics'."

As Kim pouted, Vicki and Juni walked by chatting happily about their elective class choices.

         "Good luck, Kim!" Ron called back, running off to catch up with Vicki. "Hey!" he called.

Juni turned to see whom it was, then tapped Vicki on the shoulder and informed her of their follower.

         "Oh, hi Ron," Vicki smiled. "What class did you get?" she asked.

         "Photography," he answered, scratching the back of his neck nervously.

         "What's wrong?" Juni piped up. "Didn't you want it?"

         "Yeah, but Kim wanted it too and I got the last spot. So she got stuck with School Clean-Up Crew instead, so I feel kind of bad," he admitted.

         "Tough shit for her then," Vicki put in, "You won out and she got stuck with a not-so-great class. That's not your fault," she said.

         "What did you get?" he asked the two girls, in effort to change the subject.

         "Photography," they said in unison.

         "Awesome!" he cheered.

*~*~*~*~*

         "Is this pose all right?" Ron asked Vicki, shifting in his seat on the stool.

         "Yeah, you're- er, I mean… **That's** perfect," she stumbled with her words.

Juni nudged her in the side, winking at her, and getting a raspberry in retaliation.  Vicki put her eye back up to the viewfinder, adjusting the camera's position to capture Ron's full person.  She felt her cheek grow warmer, reddening just a bit, as she looked at Ron through the camera.  *CLICK!*.  She snapped the picture, staying bent over for a moment.

         "You got it?" Ron asked, only his eyes shifting to glance at Vicki.

Juni nudged her again to bring her out of her semi-trance.

         "Oh! Uh, yeah… you can go now…" she mumbled, straightening her posture and nodding to Ron that he could move again. "Thanks," she added.

         "No problem! I live to serve," he smiled, walking over to his own camera to tinker around.

Juni snuck up behind Vicki and poked her temple.

         "Drool much?" Juni asked, winking again.

         "Shove it, Juniper," Vicki said, rubbing her sleeve over her mouth.


	4. Chapter 4 Green Tamales

{[ _Italics_ = inner thoughts/daydreams/flashbacks ]}

Chapter 4

"Green Tamales"

"I do not!" Vicki said defensively, averting her eyes to the floor and a faint pink flush surfaced on her cheeks.

"You so do, it's not even funny!" Juni giggled, pointing her finger at her friend. "It's really obvious. I'm surprised he doesn't suspect anything!"

"Ron and I are just friends, nothing more. You're just being silly," Vicki tried to convince Juni that the suspicions were meaningless. "I don't even know why I bother defending myself when I know I'm right."

Juni laughed, shaking her head at Vicki's unbelievable stubbornness.

            "All right, Villicana, you may have won this round," Vicki grumbled, plopping down onto Juni's bed.

            "What's the big deal? From what you've told me, you two seem to have a lot in common.  Why don't you go out?"

            "I don't know. What if he says no?"

            "If he does, then he's not worth your time," Juni smiled, handing the cordless phone and phonebook to Vicki. "Call him.  Suggest going to that new Mexican restaurant," she offered.

Vicki inhaled a breath, taking the phone from Juni and began searching through the white book.

            "Ron Stoppable… ok, here it goes.  If this blows up in my face, I will destroy you," she muttered jokingly to Juni.

Vicki dialed the number, waiting nervously as the other end rang.

            "Stoppable Residence," a female voice answered.

            "Uh, yeah, is Ron there?"

            "Who may I say is calling?" the woman, most likely his mother, asked.

            "A friend of his. Vicki."

            "Just a moment, dear."

There was the sound of the phone being set down and the woman calling to what seemed like the other end of the house for Ron.  There was a click.

            "Ok, Mom, you can hang up!" Ron yelled back to him mother.  She hung up the other phone line. "Hey, Vicki? What's up?" he said.  
Vicki couldn't believe how nervous she was at that moment.  She's never been like this in her whole life.  But now…

            "Hey. Nothing much. I just wanted to ask you a question."

            "Ok, shoot."

Vicki paused yet again.

            "Hello?" he said, wondering if she'd hung up by mistake.

            "I was going to go out to that new Mexican restaurant, _Green Tamales_, tomorrow night and I was just wondering… ifyou'dliketogoalongwithme?" Vicki quickly mumbled the last bit of her sentence.  She promptly got a swift jab in the arm by Juni.

            "Say what?" he asked.

            "Would you want to come along with me?" Vicki repeated, closing her eyes and clenching her teeth with anxious anticipation.

            "Sure! That's sound pretty cool," Ron agreed, much to her extreme relief.

            "Really? Great! I could come get you at around four o' clock. This is the kind of place you have to dress semi-nice.  You know: ripped or stained clothing rules… kind of a drag," she said, both of them chuckling a bit.

            "No prob. Anything for genuine Mexican cuisine. See you then," he said, sounding like he was smiling.

            "Great. Four o'clock. Later, Ron," she said, hanging up the phone then falling backwards onto the bed.

            "Way to go, girl! You've got a date!" Juni giggled cheerily, hopping about the room.

Sure Vicki was excited too, but at the moment she felt as if she were going to vomit butterflies.

*~*~*~*~*

            "Who was that Ronald?" Mrs. Stoppable poked her head in the door.

            "A friend from school. Invited me to _Green Tamales_ tomorrow night," he said casually.

His mother then got a big smile on her face.

            "Oh my little boy! You've got a date! That's so cute!" she beamed, disappearing from the doorway.

He looked a bit puzzled, then immediately got a very panicky feeling in his stomach.  Like a fistful of butterflies were all flapping at once to try and get out via his throat.  A date?  An actual date-date?

*~*~*~*~*

            Vicki arrived right on time, but sat in the car for a moment just staring up at his house.  This was also the first time she'd been out on her own driving, only having been able to drive people around legally since last month.  Most days he'd been too tense to drive, leaving it at home majority of the time.  But tonight, she felt this was an occasion she needed to drive.  Plus both parents were out taking care of various business.  Her car was a new black _Chevrolet_ truck.  Taking a deep breath, she got out of the car and heading up the walkway to the front door then rang the doorbell upon reaching it.  She looked herself over one last time, checking her outfit over.  She was wearing long pinstripe pants, black & white striped heeled-boots, a white long-sleeved blouse, and a long black coat over it all.  She also had on a black ruby-studded choker collar for the occasion, which her mother and father had given her for a past birthday (plus it matched her eyes very well).  The door opened, revealing a petite blonde woman and husky blonde man in the doorway.

            "Is Ron ready?" she asked nervously.  Ron's parents smiled at her, coffering her to come inside and have a seat while she waited.

            "Do you go to Middleton High?" the mother asked, carefully looking Vicki over.

            "Yes. I'm the same grade as Ron. We have a couple of classes together too."

At that moment, Ron came hopping down the stairs with Rufus bounding right behind at his heels.  He was dressed in plain black jeans, some nice black dress shoes, and a red dress shirt.  His hair remained the untamable flaxen mane, which Vicki had always seen, and secretly was one of the features of his she'd deemed a favourite.

            "Let's get-a-going!" he said excitedly, obviously unable to fully contain his anticipation for the delicious food that was awaiting them.

            "What time do you think you'll be back?" Mr. Stoppable asked the two as they headed for the door.

            "I'd say about seven-thirty," Vicki answered.

            "Ok. You two have fun, ok?" Mrs. Stoppable waved them goodbye from the doorway before closing it.

            "Whoa! Nice ride, V.B.!" Ron exclaimed when he got a good look at Vicki's car.  She blushed a bit, flattered that he liked the truck.

            "Off we go," she said, starting up the car as they both buckled up.  Then she drove off down the road towards the restaurant/shopping district, into the night that would change the rest of Vicki's life before she'd know it.


	5. Chapter 5 Kiss Me Fool

{[ _Italics_ = inner thoughts/daydreams/flashbacks ]}

Chapter 5

"Kiss Me Fool"

After a wonderful dinner, Vicki and Ron decided to drive around for a while before heading back.  They did have thirty minutes to kill.

"That sure was some great food!" Vicki smiled, letting out a contented sigh.

"Sorry I almost got us kicked out. I kind of have trouble controlling myself around such choice eats," he apologized.

"Nah, it's cool. I talked them into letting us stay, didn't I?" she glanced over at him, turning the wheel to get onto the next street. "I've got an idea!" she said, pulling up next to a deserted children's playground.

"What're we stopping here for?" he asked, a puzzled look on his face.

"Get in touch with our inner child!" she laughed, hopping out of the car and running out onto the playground.  He followed, not entirely sure as to what sparked her childlike impulse.

She ran over to the jungle gym, climbing up on top of it and then bending back so she was hanging down by her legs.

            "Having fun, I see," he smiled, taking a backwards seat on one of the wobbly plastic horses.

            "You too," she said, flipping over and handing gracefully on her feet.

            "Whoa! That was amazing! You should try-out for the cheer squad!" he suggested.

She ignored him, walking over towards the small merry-go-round and down.  She held onto the bars on either side of her, looking back at Ron.

            "Was it something I said?" he walked over to her, sitting down beside her.  She still didn't answer.  "You O.K., Vick?" he continued to inquire.

            "I don't get along with cheerleaders," she said, almost under her breath.

            "Huh?"

            "I don't like cheerleaders!" she said again, still quiet but with an angrier tone.

            "But why?" he couldn't understand.

She kicked at the sand, sending the merry-go-round at a slow spin.

            "Well, my real mom was a cheerleader. For the Dallas Cowboys, and–" she was interrupted briefly by an impressed whistle from Ron, but he quieted immediately and let her continue. "– She basically hated me."

            "Come on. How could anybody hate someone like you?" he said, dumbfounded by the very thought.  She looked at him, a weak smile upon her face.  Both were blushing slightly.

"She just always nasty to me. Always criticizing everything I did, good or bad, and just making me feel the worst about myself," she explained, Ron listening intently. "My dad divorced her and remarried to Janice, who is more of mother than Tammy ever way. I haven't seen her since I was ten. But since then, every cheerleader I meet seems to treat me like dirt.  Like when I came to Middleton High for the first time… the whole cheer lot regard me as some kind of animal, a wretched one that they couldn't help but torment. That Kim girl even giggled at their jokes.  She looked like she didn't enjoy it, but she still took a fraction of pleasure at my expense."

"Kim's not like that! Really, she's a nice person. You've just got to give her a chance and get to know her! She definitely not like the rest of those girls," he came to Kim's defense.

"Whatever you say," she heaved a saddened sigh, making to stand up.  He reached out a hand, taking hers and pulling her back to her seat. "Yeah, I'm sorry.  Sorry I was dissing your friend, and for dumping all problems on a sweet guy like you. You don't need my burden," she said, looking right into his eyes.  She knew he must feeling a little creeped, her ruby eyes boring into him like this.  But he didn't **look** weirded out.

"And you definitely don't deserve to be treated like dirt or an animal. You're an awesome girl," he smiled warmly, sending a friendly tickle down her spine.

"Let's go, Ron," she smiled in return, leading him back to the car.

            Vicki walked Ron up to his front door, both pausing as they stood under the light of the porch's hanging lamp.

            "Thanks for the grub, V.B.  Totally booyah!" he congratulated her.  She giggled, putting a hand up to her mouth.

            "Glad you had fun," she said.

The two stared at one another for a moment, neither of them saying a word.  She then leaned forward and kissed him on the cheek.

            "Later, skater," she waved, hopping down the steps and bounding back to the car.  She got inside, waving again as she drove off.

Ron waved after her, his other hand on his cheek where she'd kissed him.

            _Well… that was a first,_ he thought, his fingers fumbling as he reached back to open the door.

            Once she got home, Vicki went straight up to her room.  As soon as she opened her bedroom door, the wristwatch on her dresser began beeping and blinking.  She picked it up and pressed a button on the side, a small screen flipping open and displaying an image.

            "Ah, Victoria, such a pleasure to see you again."

            "Cut to the chase, Monkey Fist. What is it you want?" she asked, not in the mood for his pleasantries.

            "If you wish, Ms. Baxter.  I require the ruby you stole last night," he said.

            "I can be there soon.  I just need to make another delivery for another client before you."

            "The treasure is worth waiting for.  Just make it quick, won't you."

            "Aye, aye," she nodded.

The communicator shut off, then she strapped it on her wrist.  She then walked into her closet and changed clothes once again.  This time, into an all black outfit which resembled a ninja-like suit.

            "It's going to be another long night," she mumbled under the mask, going to the window then jumping out it for meet her other 'client'.


End file.
